Poll | With NSA-level talks threatened, will Indo-Pak ties improve?

Indo-Pakistan National Security Advisor-level talks, scheduled to be held on August 24, are in jeopardy yet again with the external affairs ministry questioning Islamabad's insistence on meeting separatist Hurriyat leaders on Friday.

Sartaj Aziz (L) and Ajit Doval, National Security Advisors of Pakistan and India. HT has learnt that Pakistan is preparing a dossier on “India’s role in fomenting terrorism in Balochistan and Karachi” when the two NSAs meet in August.

Indo-Pakistan National Security Advisor-level talks, scheduled to be held on August 24, are in jeopardy yet again with the external affairs ministry questioning Islamabad's insistence on meeting separatist Hurriyat leaders on Friday.

Pakistani NSA Sartaj Aziz is expected to meet Hurriyat leaders on August 23, a day before he arrives at New Delhi to confer with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Monday.

“India has advised Pakistan yesterday that it would not be appropriate for Mr Sartaz Aziz to meet with Hurriyat representatives in India,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup posted on his official Twitter account on Friday.

Pakistan, however, maintains that it "expects India to allow Kashmiri leaders to meet" Aziz.

Last year, India had called off talks between foreign secretaries after Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit ignored a warning and went ahead with meetings with Hurriyat leaders.